Chapter 141: The City of Marquessa
Balthazar stepped across the moat bridge and into the main street, Druma and Blue close behind. Despite how wide it was, the road was packed with people moving about, most on foot, some on carriages, busily navigating the urban tangle in an apparent rush to get to the next shop or stall.
And shops were all the crab could see. Anywhere he looked, a mercantile air filled the streets, with every building’s first floor being occupied by some sort of store, shop, or place of craft. The sidewalks were dotted with random stalls that seemed built to go up as quickly as they could be taken down and moved elsewhere, selling every manner of random goods.
The fascinated merchant had only been to one town before, Ardville, and even that was a very brief visit, but Marquessa had a clear larger scale to it, with its wider streets filled with a lot more people and visitors, as well as its taller buildings, the majority built of solid brick, rather than Ardville’s mostly wooden structures.
Woah, this place smells of opportunity!
Moving through the bustling streets with his companions, Balthazar could not get over the strange fact that nobody seemed to care or even throw curious glances at the giant crab, small goblin, and bright drake sharing a sidewalk with them.
“Morning,” greeted the crab, stopping in front of a small street stall where a man was selling vases and other pottery pieces.
“Ah, good day! What can I help you with?” said the vendor, peeking over his counter at the crustacean with a friendly smile and no apparent reaction to the fact that it had just talked to him.
“With some information, I hope,” Balthazar said. “This is my first time around these parts.”
“Ah, a first-time visitor to the city,” the cheerful man said, standing straighter behind the stall. “I hope you’re enjoying our beautiful Marquessa.”